Friday, December 27, 2013

Parshas Va’eira begins the process of
Yetzias Mitzrayim with seven of the ten Makkos happening in this parshah. Moshe
Rabbeinu was selected by Hashem to lead Bnei Yisrael out of Mitzrayim but as we
saw in last week’s parshah, he was not so eager to become the leader. At the
end of Parshas Shemos, when Moshe’s first appearance in front of Paroh resulted
in Paroh’s adding to the already heavy burden placed on Bnei Yisrael, Moshe
questioned why Hashem would send him in the first place if things were only
going to get worse. Our parshah continues from this point.

“וַיְדַבֵּר אֱלֹהִים אֶל משֶׁה וַיֹּאמֶר אֵלָיו אֲנִי
יְהֹוָה” “And Hashem spoke to Moshe, and He said to
him, ‘I am Hashem” (Shemos 6:2). Hashem responds to Moshe that everything
that has happened and will happen over the next period of time is all part of
the divine plan. The Kli Yakar asks a simple question on the pasuk. After the
pasuk says that Hashem spoke to Moshe, why does it need to repeat itself and
say “and He said to him”? We already know who is talking to whom!

In last week’s parshah, the pasuk
explains that Moshe was given his name because, “כִּי מִן
הַמַּיִם מְשִׁיתִהוּ” “For
I drew him from the water” (Shemos 2:10). Chazal ask that if this is the
case, he should have been called “משוי”, which means that he had been drawn. Instead, he was
called “Moshe” which is the present tense of the same phrase! Chazal explain
that by being given the task of leading Bnei Yisrael out of Mitzrayim, Moshe
was still drawing forth in the present as well and his name showed that. His own
name showed his purpose in this world.

Our pasuk starts off with “וַיְדַבֵּר אֱלֹהִים” “And Hashem
spoke”. In Hebrew, both of these wordsare used to show force and
authority. Yet later in the pasuk, it says “וַיֹּאמֶר”, which is used to show a normal way of
speaking, and uses a different form of Hashem’s name. Why the sudden change in
the pasuk? The Kli Yakar explains that if we put these two points together, we
can understand what is actually going on here.

Moshe had two good reasons for not
wanting to take over as leader of Bnei Yisrael: first, that he had a speech
impediment, making it difficult for people to understand him and for Paroh to
take him seriously, and secondly, that Aharon had been acting leader till this
point and Moshe did not want to take away from his brother’s honor. However,
Hashem gave him a sign that neither of these things mattered. His name, which
appears to be a grammatical error, is this sign! Hashem uses the
forceful of language of “וַיְדַבֵּר” and tells Moshe to look at his name! His very name shows that
he will be the one to draw Bnei Yisrael out of the waters of slavery onto dry
land, the very essence of his purpose! Moshe had an obligation to look into
himself and see what he was capable of and accept the responsibility which came
with it, because he didn’t do this, Hashem spoke harshly to Moshe, to
the potential which rested within Moshe to bring out Bnei Yisrael which he
ignored. Hashem was pointing out the sign which should have given Moshe all the
information and confidence he needed.

However, at the same time, Moshe did have
two very good reasons for not wanting to accept this position. So, after
harshly showing him why he was wrong, Hashem switches to a gentler tone and
says, “אֲנִי יְהֹוָה”, I am the Merciful One, I am the One who is sending you, and I
am the One who understands your hesitation and will judge you favorably.

In
Judaism, names are very important. In fact, as we see from this Dvar Torah,
your name determines many things about you. (The full topic is very extensive
and would require many weeks for us to discuss, but I just want to give some
very basic ideas.) There is a famous Chazal that when parents name their
children, they are given a small bit of Ruach Hakodesh which influences
their decision. This means that your name is not random, your name is given to
you from Hashem to help guide you on your path through life. What do our names
say about us, our strengths, our abilities, and our mission in life? The
secrets are all there for us to unlock if we so choose. The key is not to try
to escape it, but rather to face it head on, and do our best to live up to the
full potential of our names to further serve Hashem and help the Jewish People.

Thursday, December 12, 2013

Parshas Vayechi brings us to the end of
Sefer Bereishis and the end of the era of the Avos. From this point on, Bnei
Yisrael begin the transition from a family to a nation. It also signals the
beginning of Galus Mitzrayim and the labor forced upon Bnei Yisrael for
over 200 years. It all begins with Yaakov’s passing.

When Yaakov realizes that he will soon
pass away, he wants to be sure that he will be buried in Eretz Yisrael in Me’aras
Hamachpela together with his ancestors. His fear was that since his coming to
Mitzrayim brought good fortune to the Egyptians (he gave Paroh a brachah that
the Nile River should overflow, ending the famine), they will want to bury him
there in order to keep that fortune coming. Yosef being viceroy of Mitzrayim would
have the authority to bury Yaakov in Eretz Yisrael so Yaakov made him swear to
do so. When Yosef takes the oath to fulfill Yaakov’s wishes, the pasuk says, “וַיִּשְׁתַּחוּ יִשְׂרָאֵל
עַל רֹאשׁ הַמִּטָּה” “And Yisrael bowed on the head of
the bed” (Bereishis 47:31).

While Yosef was a king, it is
still strange that his father would bow down to him. Rashi gives several explanations
why Yaakov did so. The first one he gives is a famous statement from the
gemarah in Megillah (16b), “During the fox’s time, bow down to him”.
Meaning, that even though Yaakov had no obligation to bow down to his son,
since Yosef would be the one to determine whether this last request would be
carried out, he showed him an advanced level of respect. Rashi gives two more
explanations what the pasuk is teaching us when it says Yaakov bowed “on the
head of the bed”. The first explanation Rashi gives is that Yaakov was
bowing down to the Shechinah which rests at the head of every sick person.

The Sifsei Chachamim asks that this
explanation is the exact opposite of what Rashi explained previously! Earlier
in the pasuk, Rashi explained that Yaakov was bowing down to Yosef, and then only
to acknowledge the kindness Yosef was doing for him. Now, Rashi explains that
Yaakov is bowing down in recognition of Hashem’s presence! Which one is it? The
Sifsei Chachamim explains that Rashi read the pasuk and saw that is said that
Yaakov bowed and that he did so at the head of the bed. He learned from this
that if Yaakov was only bowing down to Hashem, the pasuk could have said
explicitly that he bowed down to Hashem! The fact the pasuk only tells me this
through a hint that Yaakov bowed at the head of the bed, shows me that he bowed
to someone else as well, in this case, Yosef.

I’d like to offer an alternative answer.
Rashi brings a third explanation why Yaakov bowed, that when Yaakov bowed at “the
head of the bed”, he was bowing that his bed was “complete”, meaning that all
his children were tzaddikim. The biggest challenge to this happening was Yosef
since he had lived almost forty years in the spiritual wasteland of Mitzrayim,
including twenty-two as the viceroy, yet he still was able to
remain a tzaddik. Therefore, in Yosef’s presence, Yaakov felt it most fitting
to acknowledge this great accomplishment. I believe this explanation ties
together the previous two. Yosef was Yaakov’s biggest obstacle to achieving this
status of having a complete bed. Seeing him now at this time, Yaakov was bowing
to Hashem because of Yosef. Because Yosef was standing in front of him
alive and was a tzaddik as well, Yaakov bowed to Hashem and Yosef at the same
time.

At the beginning of the Parshah, the
Ramban discusses the many similarities between Galus Mitzrayim and the current
Galus we face nowadays. Yaakov went down to Mitzrayim to escape the famine
while always planning to return to Eretz Yisrael. Mitzrayim was only a viable
option because of the esteem the Egyptians had for Yosef. However, as we know, Yaakov
did not return to Eretz Yisrael before his death and the rest of his family did
not leave for many years. However, eventually Hashem did take us out in a story
well-known to all.

In the times of the second Beis
Hamikdash, the Jewish People had made a treaty with the Romans and came to them
when they needed help in Jerusalem. Eventually the Romans laid siege to Jerusalem
which led to famine and eventually the destruction of the Beis Hamikdash and
our expulsion from Eretz Yisrael. However, just as the Galus Mitzrayim ended
and in such a fashion that every nation recognized Hashem as the ruler of the
world, so too will this current galus end and everyone will recognize Hashem as
the true ruler of the world.

Thursday, December 5, 2013

This
week’s parshah is the completion of the drama of Yosef when he finally reveals
his true identity to his brothers. For Yaakov, this was an impossible dream
come true. His beloved son was still alive! It’s hard to imagine what such a
reunion must have been like, but lucky for us, the Torah documents the entire
scene.

In
Perek 46, Pasuk 29, right at the beginning of Shishi, the pasuk says, “…וַיֵּרָאאֵלָיווַיִּפֹּלעַלצַוָּארָיווַיֵּבְךְּעַלצַוָּארָיועוֹד”
“…And he (Yaakov) appeared to him (Yosef)
and he (Yosef) fell on his neck, and he (Yosef) wept on his (Yaakov’s) neck for
a long time.” This translation
follows Rashi’s explanation which leads into a famous question, how come
Yosef fell on Yaakov’s neck and cried while Yaakov seemingly has no reaction
whatsoever? Not exactly the reaction we were expecting!

Rashi
brings a very famous Midrash which explains that Yaakov was saying Shema when
Yosef came. Since he couldn’t stop in the middle, Yosef was left to cry by
himself. The very next pasuk shows Yaakov’s true reaction, “וַיֹּאמֶריִשְׂרָאֵלאֶליוֹסֵףאָמוּתָההַפָּעַםאַחֲרֵירְאוֹתִיאֶתפָּנֶיךָכִּיעוֹדְךָחָי”
“And Yisrael said to Yosef, ‘Now I can
die since I have seen your face and you are still alive.”(46:30).Yaakov also had a very emotional reunion,however,
his reaction was a little delayed since he was in the middle of saying Shema.

The
Sifsei Chachamim has a problem with this Midrash. If it was now the time to say
Shema, how come Yosef wasn’t saying Shema along with Yaakov? He also has an
obligation to say Shema at a certain time, so how come he was not saying it at
this time as well? The first answer is that Yosef was in the middle of the
mitzvah of כיבודאב,
honoring his father. We have a rule that if you are in the middle of preforming
one mitzvah, you are not obligated to fulfill another mitzvah in the meantime.
Since Yosef was in the middle of כיבודאב,
he did not have to say Shema at that time, while Yaakov had no such mitzvah and
therefore was not excused from saying Shema.

A
second answer he brings is based on a gemarah in Brachos (13b). The gemarah
explains that if someone is טרוד, meaning that they are completely involved in whatever they are
doing, they are excused from reading the entire Shema and fulfill their
obligation with just the first verse of שמעישראלה' אלוהינוה' אחד. For example, Rabbi Yehuda Hanasi, also known as Rebbi, the
author of Mishnayos, never said more than the first verse of Shema since he was
constantly involved with teaching his students. So too by Yosef, he was
completely involved with running Egypt and now was involved in כיבודאב, so he did not have time to say more than the first verse.
Therefore, he finished Shema long before Yaakov did, and started crying while
Yaakov was still finishing up.

Still,
it is a little strange that Yaakov decided to start saying Shema right now. His
beloved son, whom he has not seen in over twenty years, is on the way to see
him! How can he all of a sudden decide to say Shema now? He’ll still have time
to say it afterwards! There are a few different answers, however, I would like
to take one from an explanation of the Ramban. In order to answer a separate
question on this pasuk, the Ramban brings up a point from last week’s parshah
that the brothers did not recognize Yosef since they had not seen him for 22
years. Yaakov, with his bad eyesight (he was 130 years old!), couldn’t recognize Yosef either! I would like
to take this point for this question as well. Yaakov did not recognize that
Yosef was there, so he decided to start saying Shema. In the meantime, Yosef arrives
and immediately embraces him.

We can
maybe learn another reason why Yaakov said Shema here by understanding what
Shema is. Shema is our proclamation to Hashem that he is our one and only G-d
who runs the entire world, that we accept on ourselves the yoke of Torah and
Mitzvos, that our entire lives are in his control. It can be said to thank Him
or to exalt Him. By saying it, we show a complete acceptance and understanding
of the events in our lives. And from it we can receive inspiration for the
other parts of our day.

Knowing
this, we can understand why Yaakov said Shema at this point. Yaakov never
thought he was ever going to see Yosef again. His probably didn’t even know how
to react, so he did the one thing that he knew would allow him to see the whole
event from its’ proper perspective, he said Shema. He was able to freeze this
moment in time and understand how this unbelievable event came from Hashem.

Through
saying Shema, he was able to take this event and use it to inspire himself in
other aspects in his life. Seeing this impossible dream come true, Yaakov was
inspired and saw more clearly than before how Hashem runs everything in this
world.

I think
this a good question to ask ourselves going into Shabbos, where does our
inspiration come from? How do we inspire ourselves in our daily routines? The
secret is to step back and recognize how everything comes from Hashem. Maybe
then we too can use the secret of Shema to inspire ourselves.

Thursday, November 28, 2013

We are told that the origin of the name
“חנוכה” comes from the phrase, “חנו-כה”
“they rested on the 25th”, referring
to when the Jews in the desert finished working on the Mishkan (Tabernacle) on
the 25th of Kislev, the same day that the miracle of Chanukah took
place one thousand years later. Rabbi Levi Yitzchak of Berdichev in his sefer,
Kedushas Levi, asks why this is worthy to name a holiday after? If this is the
reason, why didn’t they call Purim “חנו-יד”
since the Jews rested on the 14th day of Adar?

Reb Levi Yitzchak explains that first we
must understand what the purpose of a chag is. There is a concept in kabbalah
that time does not go in a straight line, but rather in a circle. This means
that whenever Rosh Hashanah comes around, the events and miracles that happened
on previous Rosh Hashanahs are brought to light again. The same is true with
Chanukah, Purim, Pesach, and the rest of the chagim. Whenever we light the
Chanukah candles, all the miracles that happened to the Chashmonaim are
“revealed” to us.

So how come certain miracles were picked
as holidays and not others? For instance, why didn’t the Rabbanan decide to
commemorate the miracle of Sancheireb (see Sanhedrin 94) or Sisrah (see sefer Shoftim
Perek 3)? The answer is that only miracles which had an effect on our good
character were picked. These miracles are the ones strong enough to be renewed
by us every year on their anniversary. However, these other miracles happened
without us having to undergo any major character changes, so they won’t have as
much power.

This, by the way, will answer a halachic
question. The brachah, “שעשהניסיםלאבותינובימיםההםבזמןהזה” “…who performed miracles for our forefathers in those days, in
these times”, is a little strange. How come it sounds as if the miracle is
still continuing? It should read, “ובזמןהזה” “and in these
times”? According to this, the reason is because the miracles are still in
effect until this very day!

In summary, every year on the
anniversary of an important miracle, we celebrate because in reality, that day
is really the renewing of the same miracle many years later. Based on this, the
Kedushas Levi answers that since Chanukah is the first chag after Rosh Hashanah
(and Succos, but he includes all the Tishrei- Chagim together), it has an
additional point of renewing the entire year full of miracles. The word “חנוכה”
is the same as “חנוכת”, which means dedication or inauguration. Because this chag
dedicates the whole year of holidays, it is called “חנוכה”.

May we all work this Chanukah to make it
truly the beginning of a new year of miracles, where the anniversaries of these
great events are renewed nowadays and we will have the same hashgachah today as
we did then.

Thursday, November 21, 2013

Some weeks I like to give a Dvar
Torah which shows the thought process of the commentaries as they commented on
the Chumash. I like to call these “How the Meforshim Work”. This is one of
those weeks.

“וַיְהִי אַחַר הַדְּבָרִים הָאֵלֶּה חָטְאוּ
מַשְׁקֵה מֶלֶךְ מִצְרַיִם וְהָאֹפֶה לַאֲדֹנֵיהֶם לְמֶלֶךְ מִצְרָיִם”“It came about after these events that the cupbearer of the king of Egypt
and the baker sinned against their master, against the king of Egypt.” (Bereishis
40:1)

Parshas Vayeishev tells the famous story
of how Yosef was sold as a slave by his brothers and ended up in Egypt. After
being falsely accused of a crime, he winds up in jail for a total of three
years. After his first year in jail, he is joined by the chief steward and
baker of King Paroh. Rashi explains on this pasuk that the reasons they were imprisoned
were that the steward served a cup of wine to Paroh with a fly in it while the
baker served him a loaf of bread full of rocks.

Interestingly, if you look in the very
next pasuk, these two individuals are afforded a bit more respect than in the
first one. “וַיִּקְצֹף
פַּרְעֹה עַל שְׁנֵי סָרִיסָיו עַל שַׂר הַמַּשְׁקִים וְעַל שַׂר הָאוֹפִים”
“And Paroh was angry at his two officers, the chief cupbearer and the chief
baker.” (40:2) How come in this pasuk the baker and steward are called by
their official titles while in pasuk 1 they are just known by their jobs? The
explanation to this question shows us how much thought and logic really goes
into a commentary’s explanation.

Rashi’s explanation on pasuk 1comes from
a medrash in Bereishis Rabbah. That same medrash provides us with another
possibility as to the sin of these two men which is that they approached Paroh
about marrying his daughter, the princess. Why did Rashi pick his explanation
over this one?

The Kli Yakar answers both our questions
by examining the wording in pasuk 1. Pasuk 1 is the one which mentions that the
steward and the baker sinned while not mentioning their titles, only their
jobs. The sins which Rashi says happened-- that there was a fly in the wine and
rocks in the bread-- are actions that would be considered bad if done to people
of any station or prestige. Therefore, they have nothing to do with the fact
that these two people were at the top of their professions and serving the king,
just the fact that they were in these positions allowed this to happen. However,
the only way they could have even had a possibility of marrying the princess
was because of their high positions. However, as we mentioned, the pasuk which
mentions they sinned does not include their titles, only their jobs! Says Rashi,
it must be that their sins had no connection to their high positions and
therefore it must be that they let a fly fall in the wine and rocks fall in the
flour. This, says the Kli Yakar, is how Rashi knew to pick this explanation
from the medrash and not the other.

It is very easy for us to read a
commentary and assume any number of things; that they either made up their
explanation, or we do not understand how the explanation makes sense, or we do
not understand how commentaries can argue on each other. Reading Divrei Torah
like this gives us a deeper understanding and insight into the words of Chazal
and perhaps make it a little easier for us to understand and accept their words
for what they are, Toras Emes.

Thursday, November 7, 2013

Parshas Vayeitzei opens with Yaakov
heading towards Padan Aram and the house of his uncle, Lavan. The pasuk tells
us that during his journey, he happened upon “the place”. “וַיִּפְגַּע בַּמָּקוֹם וַיָּלֶן
שָׁם כִּי בָא הַשֶּׁמֶשׁ וַיִּקַּח מֵאַבְנֵי הַמָּקוֹם וַיָּשֶׂם מְרַאֲשֹׁתָיו
וַיִּשְׁכַּב בַּמָּקוֹם הַהוּא” “And he (Yaakov)
arrived at the place and lodged there since the sun had set, and he took some
of the stones of the place and placed (them) at his head and he lay down in
that place” (Bereishis 28:11). Rashi explains that this “place” is none
other than the future location of the Beis Hamikdash. Chazal explain that
Hashem wanted Yaakov to stay in His most special place and leave his mark on it
with his tefillos and Torah study. Therefore, he arranged that Yaakov should arrive
there just as night fell and would be forced to sleep there.

The Kli Yakar points out how the word “מָּקוֹם”,
“place”, appears three times in this pasuk when once would suffice. We see this
same repetition later in the pesukim after Yaakov wakes up. “וַיִּיקַץ יַעֲקֹב מִשְּׁנָתוֹ וַיֹּאמֶר אָכֵן יֵשׁ יְהֹוָה בַּמָּקוֹם
הַזֶּה וְאָנֹכִי לֹא יָדָעְתִּי…וַיִּירָא וַיֹּאמַר מַה
נּוֹרָא הַמָּקוֹם הַזֶּה אֵין זֶה כִּי אִם בֵּית אֱלֹהִים…וַיִּקְרָא אֶת שֵׁם הַמָּקוֹם הַהוּא בֵּית אֵל” “And Yaakov awoke from his sleep and
said, ‘Indeed, Hashem is in this place and I did not know’…and he was
frightened and he said, ‘How awesome is this place! This is none other than the
house of G-d’…and he called that place Beis-El” (Bereishis 28:16-17, 19). Again,
in the various pesukim, emphasis is placed on repeatedly calling this location “the
place”. What is the reasoning behind this?

The answer is simple and is consistent
with this place’s purpose. The Kli Yakar explains that the three mentions of
the word “מָּקוֹם” represent the three Batei Mikdash (Holy Temples). The first
Beis Hamikdash was home to Hashem’s Shechinah in its purest sense. Incredible
miracles happened every day while it stood from which it was clear that Hashem
existed and was in control. In the end, it was destroyed since the Jewish
People could not stay away from Avodah Zara. The first mention of “מָּקוֹם”
in each set in the pesukim represents the first Beis Hamikdash. Immediately
when Yaakov arrived at “the place”, the sun set before its time and he went to
sleep. Similarly, the first Beis Hamikdash was destroyed before its time. When
Yaakov wakes up, he says, “וְאָנֹכִי לֹא יָדָעְתִּי” “And I didn’t know”. Many times
when the word “אָנֹכִי” is used in the Torah, the commentaries say it is in reference
to when Hashem uses that same word by Har Sinai by the prohibition of idols, “אָנֹכִי יְהֹוָה אֱלֹהֶיךָ”… When Yaakov uses this same
word here, it is in connection to the first Beis Hamikdash which was destroyed
when Bnei Yisrael did not listen to that commandment.

The
second Beis Hamikdash was a beautiful structure, Chazal called it the most
beautiful building ever built, but it was lacking in an area where the first
Beis Hamikdash was not. Several key elements which were present in the first
Beis Hamikdash were not present by the second such as the Aron, the heavenly
fire on the Alter, and the complete presence of Hashem’s Shechinah. Yet, in
spite of all this, the entire world recognized Hashem as the ruler of
the world through this Mikdash. When Yaakov takes “from the stones of the place”,
it is referring to the absence of the two Luchos which were stored in the Aron
and were therefore not present in the second Beis Hamikdash. In the second set,
Yaakov refers to the place as “בֵּית אֱלֹהִים” and does not use the
four-letter name of Hashem since because of the lower level of Shechinah present in the
second Mikdash, Hashem’s four-letter name was not used.

The
final mention of “the place” is in reference to the third and final Beis
Hamikdash, which will never be destroyed. The pasuk says that Yaakov called the
name of the city, Beis-El, which had originally been known as Luz. Even though
the Beis Hamikdash has been destroyed twice, the next time it is built, it will
be forever, just as Yaakov named the city, “The House of G-d” forever. The fact
that he chose that place to go to sleep is also symbolic of the eternity of the
Third Temple. As long as the Beis Hamikdash has not been rebuilt, we cannot
rest from our enemies’ destruction of it. Yaakov’s sleeping in that spot shows
us that soon we will be able to rest peacefully as the Beis Hamikdash will be rebuilt
and will last forever.

This
explanation is obviously not the simple one, but the lesson from it is very
true. We see several times by our Avos that they visited certain places in
which important events would occur in the future to their descendants in order
to daven that they should turn out well. Two examples are Avraham davening in
the city of Shechem and Yaakov davening in the city of Chevron. So when we hear
this vort of how Yaakov acted and spoke in a certain way in this place, we can
be sure that he had these thoughts and intentions in mind. Based on that, we
can be certain that the Beis Hamikdash will be rebuilt and it will last eternally.
May it be soon!

Thursday, October 31, 2013

This week’s parshah takes us through the
story of Yitzchak and straight into the story of Yaakov and Esav. There is a
very famous pasuk close to the beginning of the parshah which says, “וַיֶּאֱהַב יִצְחָק אֶת
עֵשָׂו כִּי צַיִד בְּפִיו וְרִבְקָה אֹהֶבֶת אֶת יַעֲקֹב”
“And Yitzchak loved Esav since his game was in his mouth, and Rivka loved
Yaakov” (Bereishis 25:28). This pasuk brings up a few questions. How could
Yitzchak love the rasha, Esav, more than the tzaddik, Yaakov? How could he be
so blinded? And how did Rivka not fall for the same tricks? Why did she not
tell Yitzchak what was really going on? And most importantly, what is the Torah
trying to tell us?

The answers given by the various
commentaries go in a number of different directions. I would like to give one
answer for Yitzchak’s love of Esav and one answer for Rivka’s love of Yaakov.
The Kli Yakar explains that the pasuk is being very specific. It is telling us
that the reason Yitzchak loved Esav was because of the bountiful amount of meat
he would bring back from hunting. Says the Kli Yakar, this was the
reason why Yitzchak really loved Esav, but in terms of their deeds, Yitzchak knew
that Yaakov was more righteous and appreciated him for it.

The Ohr HaChaim explains why Rivka was
particularly attached to Yaakov. The commentaries mention several times that
one of the signs of Rivka’s greatness was the fact that she grew up with both a
wicked father and a wicked brother and
was still able to resist their influence and grow up righteously. This scrutiny
of her background did not cease even after many years. The Ohr HaChaim explains
that when people saw how Esav was sinning, they suspected that Rivka might embrace
these qualities of Esav since she recognized them from her past. In order to dispel
these thoughts, Rivka openly showed how she approved of Yaakov’s actions and
showed how her only “background” consisted of activities that followed the
Torah. This is also why the pasuk identifies Yaakov several times as “her son”,
seemingly superfluously. It’s showing us that Rivka was just as
responsible as Yitzchak for Yaakov’s greatness and did not approve of Esav’s
actions at all.

Thursday, October 24, 2013

“וַתָּמָת שָׂרָה בְּקִרְיַת אַרְבַּע הִוא חֶבְרוֹן
בְּאֶרֶץ כְּנָעַן”“And Sarah died in Kiryat Arba, which is Hebron, in the land
of Canaan” (Bereishis 23:2). This week’s parshah beings with the death
of Sarah Imeinu and her subsequent burial in Me’aras Hamachpela. As you can see
above, the pasuk gives two names for the place where she died, Kiryat Arba
and Chevron (Hebron). The Kli Yakar brings a medrash which says that
there are actually four names given to this location, these two plus Eshkol
and Mamre. He then goes on to explain the significance behind these four
names.

There are four ways/reasons a person can
die. Either because of their own sins, because of the sins of others, when a
person has no sins and dies from the natural expiration of their human body,
and through a form of death called “Neshika”, literally translated as a
kiss. Neshika occurs when a person’s soul connects so strongly to Hashem on
such a high level that it can no longer return to its’ physical body and as a
result, the person “dies”. This form of death is reserved for the greatest
tzaddikim as it comes from a direct connection with Hashem.

The Kli Yakar explains that these four
styles of death are represented with these four names. The name Mamre represents
those who die from their own sins. The word Mamre comes from the word, “מַמְרִים” “Mamrim”, or “rebels”; this corresponds to sinners
who “rebel” against Hashem with their sins. (We aren’t necessarily referring to
hard-core sinners here as anyone who has even one sin, it can be claimed that
they died because of it.) The second name, Eshkol, represents those who die
because of the sins of others. When talking about those who die because of the
sins of others, it is usually children who die because of their parents. The
word Eshkol, comes from the word “שכול” “Shikol”, which refers to a person who loses a child.

The third name is Kiryat Arba which refers to those who die from their
bodies simply breaking down after so many years. The word “Arba” is translated
as “four” in English and refers here to the four elements which make up the
physical world: earth, fire, water, and air. These are the foundations of
nature and if they would expire so would the world. Similarly, these four
elements make up the human body and when they expire, so does the person
wearing it. The last name is Chevron which comes from the word “חיבור” “Chibur”, meaning
a connection. This refers to the death of Neshika where the soul connects
strongly to Hashem, to strong for it to return to the physical world.

The first two names refer to styles of death that come through sins. In
order to show us that Sarah Imeinu did
not die because of sin, the pasuk tells us that two names for the city were Kiryat
Arba and Chevron, the two names which refer to death not through sin. Because
of the pasuk, we know that Sarah died from a combination of her body expiring,
Chazal tell us that Sarah died exactly when she was supposed to, and from the
special death set aside especially for the greatest tzaddikim, Neshika.